McGinley Square Revitalization Plan Receives Smart Growth Award

HR&A Advisors, Inc. congratulates Trinity Choice Communities, the Jersey City Redevelopment Agency, and St. Peter’s College on their New Jersey Future 2012 Smart Growth Award for the McGinley Square Revitalization Plan. Once a key neighborhood business center, McGinley Square experienced decades of decline as businesses moved away from urban areas. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development designated it as a “Choice Neighborhood” and provided a grant to support revitalization planning efforts. As a result of this grant, the group created a redevelopment plan to transform the area into a mixed use community that would cater to St. Peter’s students, faculty, and staff as well as neighborhood residents. The McGinley Square Redevelopment Plan calls for the revitalization of the Montgomery Street corridor between West Side Avenue and The Beacon, anchored by the construction of a new student center for St. Peters and the construction of a mixed use residential, retail, restaurant and entertainment development around the Square at the intersection of Bergen Avenue and Montgomery Street. The Plan includes the provision of housing for a range of income levels. It increases neighborhood open space through the creation of a pedestrian-only festival street and several pocket parks. Finally, it increases connectivity with Journal Square and the waterfront through a proposed bus rapid transit route.

HR&A was pleased to have the opportunity to support Trinity Choice Communities in its efforts to implement the Plan. HR&A conducted a market study for residential, retail, and professional office uses which will be used to market the project to potential tenants.